Archives for October 2015

A former para educator in Derby has been arrested after police say he engaged in unlawful sexual relations with a student. The district, however, says the man in question, had already resigned from his job before any allegations were made. Police have not released the man’s name. He has not been formally charged with a crime.

The Kansas Supreme Court plans to hear arguments December 10th on the validity of a law that is at the heart of a dispute over funding for the judiciary. The court set a schedule Thursday for reviewing the state’s appeal of a Shawnee County judge’s ruling striking down the 2014 law.

Kansas congressman Tim Huelskamp voted for Paul Ryan as House speaker after previously backing another candidate. Huelskamp’s vote Thursday to install Ryan as the new speaker means all four members of the state’s all-GOP delegation in the chamber supported the Wisconsin Republican.

Wichita Police say they believe an infant missing since July is dead. Vincent Moore was last seen on July 11th with his father, Gary Moore. The family, though, says they’re upset with police, because they only found out through court documents that the baby is believed to be dead. They question why authorities never issued an Amber Alert when the child went missing.

Kansas regulators are extending limits on the injection of wastewater underground by oil and natural gas drillers. The restrictions put in place earlier this year apply to five earthquake-prone areas in Harper and Sumner counties. They will remain in effect at least until March.

The last defendant in the deaths of a Valley Center couple has been sentenced to prison. Braden Smith has been sentenced to more than 24 years for providing guns used to kill Roger and Melissa Bluml nearly two years ago. The Bluml’s adopted son, his biological mother and another person are serving long prison sentences in the case.

Saline County health officials are dealing with a syphillis outbreak in the county north of Wichita. Health Coordinator Jason Tiller says there were no cases in the first six months of this year, but since June, there have been 12 cases reported. He described that as an astronomical jump. Tiller says he believes someone from outside the county brought it in. The best safeguard is to practice safe sex or abstain.

The spokeswoman for the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services is facing criticism over a Facebook posting in which she used the phrase “slow learners” while criticizing a proposed voter registration program. Agency Secretary Kari Bruffett said in an email Wednesday that spokeswoman Angela de Rocha’s posting wasn’t referring to the developmentally disabled. Bruffett said de Rocha was “stunned” by that interpretation.

Health officials have concerns about a proposal under consideration by the Sedgwick County Commission to ask about the immigration status of people seeking immunizations and disease screenings at the county health department clinics. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment says it does not want to deter people from getting services needed to protect the public health of Kansas.

Authorities say a missing Wichita, Kansas, man has been found dead in a car in Dallas. Otis Kelley was last seen on October 16th at his Wichita auto shop with a friend. His family and friends filed a missing person report two days later. The Dallas Police Department continues to investigate the incident.